Tarot

The Tarot Card Spread – Laying Out The Cards

The tarot spread is a method of laying out the cards in a specific pattern. There are certain defined spreads that are commonly used in Tarot such as the Celtic Cross Spread. However, you may also design your own unique spread based on what you feel most comfortable with.

The Tarot Spread

The tarot spread you use will differ based on the number of cards used, the position of each card and it’s meaning based on that position. Each position of the cards tells a different story. This is based on the interpretation of which card lands in that specific position. As an example the Four of Pentacles denotes possessiveness, control, and blocked change. However if this card lands in Position 4 of the Celtic Cross Spread it means that they are moving away and out of your reality not into it.

When you first lay out the cards try using the Celtic Cross Spread to get a feel for it. It’s not necessary to memorize the spread at this stage. Just spend time looking at it so that you are comfortable with the cards you see there. The next step in learning to use the tarot spread is to lay out any ten cards you choose using the Celtic Cross as a guide.

Next use a guide to each position to note the significance of the position of each card. Try to understand why a certain card means what it does - based on its position in the tarot spread. You don’t have to know its real meaning, just try to use your intuition at this point.

Once you have studied what each card indicates by its unique position in the tarot spread you can try a few practice readings to become more familiar with interpreting the cards in the spread. This is the best way to become familiar with the tools of the tarot and get a feel for the purpose of doing a reading.

If you choose to design your own tarot spread you can start by creating a three-card tarot spread. Begin by drawing a picture of the three-card layout. This will indicate where each card must be positioned. Next, number the positions. This will indicate the order that the cards must be placed in. The last step is to write down a short note or two. This should be descriptive of the symbolism of each card position.

You can design a three-card tarot spread to denote events in time. You can also use it when you belong to a team of three members and want to better understand the different expectations of each member of the team. Use a spread in the shape of a “Y”. In this pattern a meeting of the minds is symbolized.

Whichever design you choose it should reflect the meanings of each position. Once you have mastered the three-card layout you can design a tarot spread using four, five or more cards.

Tarot